Social Security History

This is an archival or historical document and may not reflect current policies or procedures.

The Townsend Plan Movement

Dr. Francis E. Townsend. SSA History Archives

Dr. Francis E. Townsend (right), confers with
Sheridan Downey, U.S. Senator
from California and Upton Sinclair's running mate in the 1934 gubernatorial
campaign.
U.S. Office of War Information photo, National Archives.

Dr. Townsend published his plan in a Long Beach, California newspaper,
as a kind of extended "Letter to the Editor," in early 1933.
He was surprised by the swift and massive response the letter generated.
Townsend had tapped a major social problem in America (poverty among
the elderly) and the nation was crying out for a solution. Townsend's
letter led to the formation of an organization and the development
of a formal Plan. The Plan was then published as a pamphlet and distributed
throughout America.

This is the pamphlet the Townsend group distributed in early 1934.
At this early point in the campaign they saw President Roosevelt as
an ally. (You will notice that page 19 of the Plan quotes President
Roosevelt at length.) Townsend fully expected Roosevelt to endorse
his plan. Roosevelt, like most establishment figures of the era, saw
the Townsend Plan as irresponsible and unworkable. Indeed, there is
some evidence that Roosevelt was prodded to introduce his Social Security
proposal to counter the growing influence of the Townsend Plan. Townsend
and his followers were bitterly disappointed with Social Security
because it did not promise immediate payments in 1935, because the
benefits Social Security promised were small compared to the $200
per month that Townsend wanted, and because people had to work under
the Social Security program to earn a payment.

The
Townsend Plan Newsletter

"The Modern Crusader" was the newsletter published
by the Townsend Plan's Long Beach, California headquarters. It began
publication in the summer of 1934 and this is the October 26, 1934
issue. At this point in the "crusade" enthusiasm is running
high and many California politicians and merchants were anxious
to be identified with the movement.

Page 1 of the "Crusader" promises the "Largest Mass
Meeting in World's History," and to "do Away with Poorhouses."
The lead editorial promises nothing less than to ". . . make
the United States the ideal spot on earth in which to live."

Editorial Cartoons

These are cartoons related to the Townsend Plan and Social Security--three
are from the Townsend newsletter and one is an item from the mid-term
1934 elections.

This cartoon stamp was part of a series produced by the Republican party for the 1932 presidential election. The series was designed to attack the Democratic candidate, Franklin Roosevelt, and other stamps in the series depicted FDR as a Frankenstein monster run amok, as using the Constitution to light his cigarettes, and the like. This stamp was intended to imply that FDR would drain the pockets of America's workers to fill the pot of America's elderly, by pushing through the Townsend Plan if elected President. This particular stamp is doubly ironic, since FDR was a vehement opponent of the Townsend Plan, and many Republicans advocated Townsend-type flat-benefit schemes as alternatives to Social Security in the years following the 1932 election.

This cartoon, from the Townsend Plan's "Weekly" newspaper,
expresses the group's main objection to Social Security--that it
was not generous enough in the benefits it offered. The Townsend
Plan promised every senior citizen $200 per month , regardless of
past earnings. Under the social insurance program of the Social
Security Act a worker whose earnings averaged $100 month for 40
years would collect a Social Security retirement benefit of only
$35 month. This gave the Townsend Plan an immediate appeal, which
is reflected in the cartoon. (Keep in mind, however, that economists
estimated it would require one-half of the nation's total income
to fund the level of benefits promised by Townsend!)

This cartoon, from the Townsend Plan's Weekly newspaper, expresses
the group's continuing dissatisfaction with the Social Security
program. In their view, the Social Security Act was an obstacle
to passage of their own Plan.

This cartoon, from the Townsend Plan's "Weekly" newspaper,
is still arguing that the Townsend Plan is superior to Social
Security. This argument would still have appeal until the passage
of the 1950 Social Security Amendments dramatically increased
the value of Social Security benefits.

Decorative Stamps

Among its multitudinous public information materials, the Townsend
organization produced license plates, windows stickers, commemorative
plates and spoons, and numerous decorative stamps which Plan supporters
used to adorn their letters. Here is a sample of a few of the stamps
used to promote the program.

This letter from Dr. Townsend to President
Eisenhower is indicative of the persistent interest Townsend and
his followers showed in issues related to Social Security-- even
well past the point that most obsevers would say the issue was moot.
Indeed, the Townsend organization, in one form or another, would
continue in existence at least until the early 1980s. The letter
also reveals something of the passion Francis Townsend brought to
his crusade.